Discipleship 4 – Encouragement - Thursday 28th Sept 06
Luke 9:1-6 (GNB)
7When Herod, the ruler of Galilee, heard about all the things that were happening, he was very confused, because some people were saying that John the Baptist had come back to life. 8Others were saying that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. 9Herod said, "I had John's head cut off; but who is this man I hear these things about?" And he kept trying to see Jesus.
Many years ago I heard a talk in London at my home church from a visiting speaker who was speaking on the text, “But Samson’s hair started growing back.” (Jdg 16:22). His main point was that the church’s “hair” or strength had been shorn over the last half century, but its hair was starting to grow again.
And we are seeing that today. The Church in Britain is growing again. Not in the same way, in the same denominations or in traditional church culture – but in new expressions of church: small house churches, “churches” in village halls, in cafés, in pubs, at work, in theatres, on the streets of our cities.
The secular world thought it had cut off Christianity’s head. But the poster outside the Methodist Church says it all “’God is dead’ – Nietzsche. ‘Nietzsche is dead.’ – God”. God is on the move again in UK – and we are part of it.
Discipleship seems very dull. It can be thankless and dispiriting. But fear not, God is at work and all that you and I do to help him is multiplied many times. Go to the poor, go to the weak, go to those who still understand their need. There we find God at work.
To enjoy: being encouraged! | 